Wet-mixer



'R. v. MATTISON, JR-

WET MIXER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1919.

1,344, 306. Patented June 22, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

FIG: I

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O r p 42 y 023L222 R. V. MATTISON, JR.

WET MIXER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I2. 9]9. 7 1,344,306. Patented June 22,1920.

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FIG 1K UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD V. MATTISON, JR, OF UPPER DUBLIN TOWNSHIP, MONTGOMERY COUNTY,

' PENNSYLVANIA.

WET-MIXER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1920.

Application filed February 12, 1919. Serial No. 276,681.

T 0 altwhom it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD V. MATTI- son,Jr., a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Upper Dublintownship, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Vet- Mixers, of whichthe following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings.

My invention relates to a mixer which is especially adapted to produce awet mixture of asbestos and cement, such as may be worked in an augermill and thus made into sheets or other forms, but its utility is notthus limited. According to my invention I superimpose the mixing tankproper upon a storage tank with interposition of a gate. In both themixing tank and the storage tank suitable agitating and mixing devicesare provided, mounted upon a single shaft located axially in both tanks.Other details to which my invention is directed will be made clear asthe description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I, is a sectional elevation of amixer comprising mixing and storage tanks according to my invention.

I Fig. II, is a horizontal sectional view along the line II, II, of Fig.I.

Fig. III, is a similar View along the line III, III, of Fig. I.

Fig. IV, is an enlarged perspective view of the gate and,

Fig. V, is a similar view of one of the mixing blades employed in themixing tank.

The mixing tank 1, is cylindrical in outline, open at the to with avertical'shaft 2, rotating axially t erein. This shaft carries the bevelgear 3, by which it is driven, and at its lower end has a reducedportion 4 .for engagement with a suitable thrustbearing (not shown) forsupporting it. It is journaled near its upper end in the bearing 5,supported from the upper edge of the mixing tank by the three-arm spiderframe 6, while it is j ournaled near its lower end in the bearing 7formed in the lower end of the storage tank.

Set upon this shaft Within the mixing tank are parallel arms 13, and 14,which carry scrapers 15, hinged to their o er extremities and inclinedin the direction of rotation in such manner as to keep the materials inthe mixing tank from clinging to the walls. Between the central shaftand the scrapers the arms 13, and 14, carry mixing blades 9, which haveone-half of their lengths faced at an angle of about 90 to that of theother half, as best seen in Fig. V. These blades are mounted in boxes10, and 11, carried on the arms,'and maybe turned therein at will bymeans of crank arms 12, attached to their upper ends. The crank arms'ofall the blades are connected together by means of a horizontal link 16,which overlies the arm 13, being shaped to pass around the central shaftand connect the set of crank arms on one side thereof to the set ofcrankarms on the other side thereof, as seen in Fig. II. A lever 17 ispivoted near one extremity of the arm 13, and connected at one end tothe link 16, whereby the operator may move the link to simultaneouslyrotate'the blades 9, through an angle of about 90 as desired. The shaftfurther carries between the arms 13,-and 14, a large auger or screw 8,preferably made in two sections clamped upon the shaft as shown. Thefunction of this screw is to work the materials placed within the tankdownwar'd at the center of the same.

At the bottom of the tank 1, and in its central region there is.provided a gate 20, which consists oftwo circular disks 21, and 22,each provided with radial slots or openings which by relative rotationof thedisks which separates the mixing tank from the storage tank.

The operation of the mixing tank thus described is as follows:'

So long as the gate at the bottom of the tank is closed, the rotation ofthe screw tends to press the material downward at the center, thencewhile the gate is closed the material tends to flow outwardly toward theperimeter of the tank, in which direction its motion is assisted by theaction of the lower half of the blades 9. In ordinary operation the tankis filled well above the middle of its height and consequently thematerials when they reach the outer walls are gathered from the same bythe action of the scrapers and an inward flow of the material towardthecenterof the tank is induced in the upper layers of the material, aidedby the reversed face sur faces of the blades 9. A steady circulation ofthe materials to be mixed is thus effected, the material being forcedoutward in the bottom end of the mixing tank by means of the lowerportions of the blades.9, inward on top by means of the upper portionsof the blades, and axially downward in the center to (and, normally,across) its valved aperture. The space at the center of the tank aboutthe shaft 2, within the blades 9, permits the material to pass axiallyof the tank to reach the region of outward movement under the impulsionof the lower portions'of the blades 9, and the scrapers 15,;

serve to gather the material from the outer wall of the tank and soinitiate its inward movement.

Beneath the mixing tank is a receiving tank 26. This is preferably anelongated cylinder of less diameter, but greater length, than the mixingtank. It is provided at its bottom with a perforated plate 27, withperforations as shown in Fig. III, through which the material is fedfrom the storage tank. Such means of exit are preferable to anunrestricted opening, straining out any large stones which might findtheir way into the tanks, or if any parts of theoverlying machinery arebroken, they are caught by the perforated plate, instead of being permitted to pass on with the mixture to other machinery which they mightwreck. The shaft 2, as it passes axially through the storage tank isprovided with arms 30, 31, and 32, which in turn carry at their outerends rock shafts 88, and 34. Attached to these rock shafts are scrapers35, and 36, which tend in operation to scrape the materials away fromthe walls of the storage tank, directing them toward the center.Angularly inclined blades 37, are set upon the shaft which by theirrotation keep the wet mass in motion, and press the same downward slowlyand uniformly in such manner as to compact the material and work out ofthe same all the entrained air which may be mixed into it during theagitation in the mixing tank above. It is 1mportant in running a mixtureof asbestos and cement to an auger mill that the mill may receive auniform wet mix without entrained air, so that as the ribbon of materialis forced through the nozzle and die of the mill,--there will be notendency to blow the surface of the ribbon as would be the case if airpockets existed in the mass fed to the auger screw.

When it is desired to mix materials by the above described mechanism thedry components are run into the mixing tank 1, and the proper amount ofwater added thereto. The rotation of the shaft accomplishes the mixingof these materials until the proper mass is formed. The gate separatingthe mixing tank from the storage tank is then opened and the materialallowed to pass into the latter tank, which operation is assisted by thecontinued rotation of the screw 8. As soon as the upper portion of thecharge in the mixing tank has passed down into the storage tank, theblades 9, are turned to an angle of about 90, so that they will thendirect the materials in the lower portion of the mixing tank toward thecenter of the same, instead of toward the outside, as should be the caseduring the mixing operation. Thus the reversal of the normal outwardcirculation on the bottom of the mixing tank facilitates the transfertherefrom to the storage tank, and the material received by the latterfrom the former is forced downward by means of the blades 37, todischarge at the lower end of the latter. v

By the employment of a mixing tank and storage tank related and combinedas thus described, the mixing tank can be almost entirely emptied andmade ready for the next mixing operation on a new batch of materialswithout interfering with the continuous supply of the mix which isrequired when the latter is to be supplied to an anger mill. Moreover,the mixing means employed can be of a non-compacting type (such as thatshown) which will produce the most eflieient agitation andmixing action.The material transferred to the storage tank in a thoroughly mixed butrelatively uncompacted state can then be pressed together, and socompacted by suitable means therein which (like that shown) would ofitself be relatively inefficient for mixing. Thus a continuous supply ofmixed material in a suitably compacted state can be delivered from thestorage tank. According to my invention the storage tank is ofsufficient size to permit intermittent or periodic mixing and feedingthereto without interfering with the continuous supply of material fromthe storage tank, which is kept constantly sufliciently filled to act asa relay to the mixing tank.

The inclined blades in the storage tank serve the double purpose offreeing the mix, therein from entrained air, and assisting in thedischarge of the material from the delivery end of the tank.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a mixer, the combination of a mixing tank and a subjacentreceiving tank with a valved aperture between them, said receiving tankhaving exit at its lower end; means in said mixing tank for agitatingand thereby mixing the material therein, without compacting the same,even when said valve is closed and for forcing the mixed but uncompactedmaterial downward to said valved aperture; and means in said receivingtank for pressing together and thereby compacting and for forcingdownward through its exit said material received from said mixing tank,so that material mixed in said mixing tank and transferred to saidreceiving tank may be delivered continuously therefrom in a compactedstate.

2. In a wet mixer, the combination of a cylindrical mixing tank and acylindrical receiving tank subjacent thereto and having an aperturedbottom plate: an axial rotary shaft in said tanks; agitating and mixingmeans in said mixing tank carried by said shaft; scrapers in saidreceiving tank carried by said shaft and operating upon the cylindricaltank walls; and means also carried by said shaft in said receiving tankfor compacting and forcing downward and out through the apertures ofsaid bottom plate in a continuous supply materialmixed in said mixingtank and transferred tosaid receiving tank.

3. In a mixer, the combination of'a cylindrical mixing tank and asubjacent co axial receiving tank of larger capacity than the mixingtank having restricted exit means at its lower end; a gate separatingthe bottom of the mixing tank from the receiving tank; a central shaftin both tanks; non-compacting agitating and mixing means carried by theshaft within the mixing tank; and downward acting compacting andpropelling means .carried thereby within the receiving tank, so thatmaterial periodically mixed in the mixing tank and transferred to thereceiving tank may be compacted in the latter and delivered therefrom ina continuous supply.

4. In a mixer, the combination of a mixing tank and a receiving tank ofless diameter subjacent to its central portion and communicatingtherewith by a valved aperture, said receiving tank having exit at itslower end; means for causing the material to be mixed to circulateoutward in the bottom of the mixing tank and inward in its upper portionand forcing it downward in the center, so that it shall be transferredinto said receiving tank through said aperture when opened; and means insaid receiving tank for compacting and maintaining in downward movementand discharging from its bottom in a continuous supply materialperiodically received therein from said mixing tank.

5. A mixer comprising a mixing tank; means for causing the material tobe mixed to circulate outward toward its periphery in one end of saidtank and inward toward its center in the other end thereof; and meansfor causing the inward circulating material to pass centrally of theaforesaid end of the tank to the region of outward movement.

6. A mixer comprising a cylindrical tank with an axial shaft; and meanscarried by said shaft for forcing the material to be mixed outwardtoward the periphery in one end of the tank and inward toward the centerin the other, there being about the shaft space for the material forcedinward to pass axially of the tank to the aforesaid end region ofoutward movement.

7. A mixer comprising a cylindrical tank with an axial shaft; and meanscarried by said shaft for forcing the material to be mixed outwardtoward the periphery ;in one end of the tank and inward toward thecenter in the other, there being about the shaft space for the materialforced inward to pass axially of the tank to the aforesaid end region ofoutward movement: and rotary sc'apers acting upon the cylindrical tankwall to gather the material being mixed therefrom and thus initiate itsinward movement 8. A mixer comprising a cylindrical tank with anaxialshaft; means carried by said shaft for forcing the material to be mixedaxially in onc direction in the center of the tank: and means alsocarried by said shaft for forcing the material outward toward itsperiphery in the end of the tank to which it is forced by saidfirst-mentioned means and forforcing it inward toward the center in theother end of the tank.

9. A mixer comprising a mixing tank tom: means for causing the materialto be mixed tocirculate outward toward its periphery in the bottom ofthe tank and inward toward the center in its upper portion and forcingitglownward in the center, so that it shallbe discharged through saidaperture when opened: and means for reversing the action aforesaid in'espect of the circulation on the bottom of the tank. so as tofacilitate discharge.

10. A cylindricalmixing tank having an axial shaft; arms carried by saidshaft: and a plurality of blades carried by said arms extending from endto end of the tank and each having distinct portions in the two endsthereof faced at such different angles with reference to a radius of thetank that such portions act to move material radially in op positedirections in the two ends of the tank.

1l. A cylindrical mixing tank having a central valved discharge aperturein its bottom; an axial shaft; arms carried by said shaft; bladescarried by said arms extending lengthwise in an axial direction in thetank and having the lower part of their lengths faced at an angle to theupper part; and means for turning said blades collectively withreference to said arms.

12. A cylindrical mixing tank with a cen tral valved discharge aperturein its bottom; an axial rotary shaft therein; parallel arms set uponsaid shaft; radially acting blades journaled in said arms extending inan axial direction in the tank and having the lower part of theirlengths faced at an angle to the upper part; crank arms for turning saidblades; a link uniting said crank arms; and means for shifting theposition of said link so that given portions of the blades shall movethe material either to or from the center of the tank.

13. An upright cylindrical mixing tank provided with an axial shaft;parallel arms carried by said shaft; scrapers hinged to the extremitiesof said arms with their edges in contact with the cylindrical walls ofthe tank; and rotary blades journaled in said parallel arms extendinglengthwise in an axial direction in the tank and having the lower partof their lengths faced at an angle to the upper part, so that rotationof said blades and scrapers moves the material in the bottom of the tankfrom the center toward the cylindrical wall and in the top of the tankfrom the cylindrical wall toward the center.

14:. A cylindrical mixing tank with a central valved discharge aperturein its bottom; a shaft rotating axially therein; an auger screw carriedby said shaft tending by its rotation to force the material in the tankdownward; movable blades carried by said shaft which, according to theirinclination, tend to move material from the center to the outer edge ofthe tank, and vice versa; and scrapers carried by said shaft whichscrape the material in the tank from the cylindrical walls thereof.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed. my name at Philadelphia,Pennsyl- Vania this tenth day of February, 1919.

RICHARD V. MATTISON, JR.

-Witnesses:

JAMES H. BELL, E. L. FULLERTON.

